It’s never a great sign when a drama that’s currently airing makes drastic changes midway through its run, whether it’s in story direction, actor changes, or replaced directors or writers. It’s the latter case for Age of Feeling, KBS’s romantic action noir that has just announced that its main writer will be quitting the show.

There are four writers on the staff of Age of Feeling, which is rather a large staff by dramaland standards but also understandable as all four are rookies. Three of the four have no other credits to their names, while head writer Chae Seung-dae (the one who is leaving) has a couple of Drama Specials under his belt. No specifics were given to explain Chae’s departure, merely that he leaves because of “personal reasons”; a source with KBS’s drama department added that Chae is still a new writer and found the task of leading a 24-episode project to be too much to handle. What a strangely vague and backhanded explanation.

Chae will stick around through the drama’s tenth episode, which airs this week. Beginning with Episode 11, a new writer will be brought in as head writer, Park Gye-ok. As his credits include the medical melodrama Cain and Abel (which I found plodding and overwrought) and the weekend series Dumb Mom, I am not super enthusiastic about this swap. It’s a sudden move and while ratings aren’t fabulous, they aren’t in flop territory either (averaging 8% or thereabouts, which is usually enough to claim second place against You From Another Star, ahead of Miss Korea) and the show has its niche fanbase, so I don’t know what they hope to achieve at this point.

This also comes on the heels of KBS stepping in to announce that they reduce the number of violent scenes in Age of Feeling, which has had some complaints of excessive depictions of blood and pain. I would’ve thought a certain level of violence was to be expected for a dark period noir show that centers around a fighter hero (and remember Gaksital?), but there’s been enough said about the gratuitous scenes to get the show to back off. It’s possible that the age of its young actors (in the childhood portions) adds a layer of sensitivity to the matter, so there’s that.

Age of Feeling, which airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays, is planned for 24 episodes in totla; the switch does occur before the halfway mark, giving the show plenty of time to find its footing and settle in with a new writer. Whether that’s a good thing remains to be seen.

Another drama which will be ruined because of the industry’s conservatism, fear of change and “Won’t someone please think of the children” ajummas then. Lovely. Yes, why would a show about a violent period and people engaged in violent gang activities have so much blood and violence?

This series was doing so well and being different. I guess there’s our explanation for these changes.

Minimize violence on TV? Are they joking? Sageuk dramas are even more violent.
It seems to me an issue of creative differences. A writer who refuses to heed to the producers’ demand to change the script.
Too bad because of all current dramas airing in SK this one is really good.

Even crazier? I use Anthony phrases in real life! “Yes, I know it sounds good on paper, but…geez, what would Anthony do?”

1.2 ChichiriFebruary 10th, 2014 at 5:59 AM

I can’t help but scratch my head whenever the “bad TV is teaching my kids bad behavior” blah is used to argue for something, because, well.. why don’t you (parents, et al) be the one to teach them how they should behave instead of relying on TV shows to do it for you?

Exactly. But it seems Korean drama is very odd in its choices of what is and is not harmful for children. And that changes too. Some series show blades, some don’t. Some are allowed more violence than others, despite the same rating (15+, 19+ etc).

They are just very inconsistent. Either they’re full of it or then bribes decide what airs and what doesn’t, what changes and what doesn’t. Given the corruption of the entertainment industry in general, that’s possible too. It’s probably both.

Grr, stinking phone. I just avoid the violent shows, and would keep my kids from watching them (they’re young, and I already keep my scarier or more upsetting drama-viewing for after bedtime). I might say a show is excessively violent (but I can’t really judge this one on that because I’m not watching it), and prefer less violent ones, but I don’t want someone to change the whole direction of their show they’ve been working on and making how they want to just because of that. I don’t tell Tarantino to stop making his films just because I find them too violent. I do, however, teach my kids my views on violence in entertainment and such, and that’s putting that job on me as a parent, not on other people.

That’s true. And even if you are watching a show with kids, when things start getting too much there is also the option to take them out of the room and explain why you don’t want them watching right now.

I think the problem is with the show’s rating more than anything else. Bump up the rating and then people won’t expect something for everyone in the family. Either that or maybe Korea has to start getting a later time slot for more adult shows on it’s national programming channels. Put the kids to sleep first and then everyone else watches? Either way, the tv will still be on. Ratings don’t count the amount of eyes in the room, lol.

1.2.2.1.4 GidgetFebruary 10th, 2014 at 11:00 AM

I agree that the ‘kids’ argument for a show in a Wed/Thurs 9:00-10:00 timeslot is a parenting issue, not a programming issue. Aren’t most young kids in bed by 9:00? And aren’t most kids old enough to stay up that late either in bed because they have a long schoolday ahead of them, or still finishing their homework? Saying its about the kids just doesn’t make sense. So I wonder if that’s really it.

To me what seems just as likely is that it’s an economic issue. It might be that they’re experiencing pushback from domestic advertisers who either don’t like their products placed alongside the show’s content; or believe that the show is attracting a narrow demographic they’ll have a hard time selling into. It would be a shame if the network’s content creators ruin the show because they are stuck in a paleo and nearsighted business model.

1.2.2.2 DramabirdFebruary 10th, 2014 at 10:14 AM

I have been watching, but I agree that it is too violent for my tastes. I find myself checking out/FF a significant chunk of each episode.

All I can say is NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Don’t ruin it for me!! I mean you’ve spent so much on it, you got an engaging story, an interesting period, and even the actors are doing fine!! Its like something HAS to go wrong!

Agreed if the parents don’t want their children to watch it then don’t let ur children watch it that simple….. don’t blame the writers You’re the one letting your children watch it … I really hope the new writer can keep up this up its a amazing show hope they don’t screw it up Fighting ❤

Unfortunately, these times of dramas don’t tell to fair well on public broadcast and tend to do better on cable. Like I highly doubt dramas like reply, heartless city, I need romance and can we love? would never seen the light of day nor would they have been as popular if not for cable.

I’m actually really enjoying Age of Feeling right now and I’m hoping that the writer change won’t mess it up. I’ll most likely watch up to episode 10 this week and read the recaps and see if I still want to watch it after the writer change. I hope the story doesn’t stray too far away from its epic hero story and all of our awesome side characters become, well less awesome. Because I seriously love all of the side characters.

Here’s to hoping for the best! C’mon Age of Feeling. You’ve got me hooked so good. Let’s keep it up for another 14 episodes.

All the good acting (excluding JSY), good directing and the mindblowing bloody scenes in Gaksital brings it nowhere near to last year Baeksang or Korean Drama Awards and other major K-entertainment awards except the KBS Drama Awards. Oofff.

Still sour with last year lack of recognition for Gaksital.

Owh, BTW JSY is doing a good job in here, she has great chemistry with Jung Tae (Kim Hyun Joong).

I don’t really see the point of why do you have to mentioned a drama that is in no way connected to Age of Feeling. Your statement is a bit off-topic. This article is about Age of Feeling not Gaksital.
Learn to let go of certain things. The actors and production crew in Gaksital move on. I hope the fans of the drama and the actors should already move forward.

Umm, sounds like KBS ousted the writer themselves bc the show isn’t bringing in the ratings they want. That’s… expected and really, really disappointing. I think the show would be doing alot better if it wasn’t being completely overwhelmed by Man from the Stars. Shows of this genre and period usually do well, but the competition is too much, I guess. I don’t know how much of a draw Kim Hyun Joong is outside of his fanbase, but it’s obviously no match for the combined star power of KSH and JJH.

If MBC messes with Miss Korea in anyway, I will be flipping some tables.

Agree with you. It’s really sad IG and Miss Korea completely overshadowed by YCFTS. Not saying YCFTS don’t deserve attention, and it’s a good drama but i just hope people could give other good drama a chance too.

But doesn’t this all center around what is – in essence – a false narrative?

The only thing the ‘ratings’ measure is the number of domestic households with eyeballs on their television sets during the original broadcast. In today’s entertainment, that means next to nothing. It doesn’t capture the number of people actually watching the original broadcast, domestic online viewing, deferred/delayed viewing and international audiences.

Measuring a show’s success by the current ratings system implies that we watch YFAS or AOF or MK. (Emphasis on the word “or”.) In reality, it’s more likely a question of what we watch first, second and third….and after that, what we watch again, and again, and again.

All this to say, we can’t truly say how much more popular YFAS is than the other shows currently airing. Or whether the real audiences for AOF or other shows aren’t significantly under-valued.

It’s all about the money, and hence the importance of ratings. The major networks will really not put as much importance to people who watches it online especially those outside of korea, if only because that is not where the major television ads are aired and ultimately that is what matters to them: airing ads. In a profit oriented perspective, the true measure of success of a drama is ratings and sadly that is the bottomline.

The creative/production teams are tortured by being required to deliver (nearly) real time response to only one segment of their audience.

The viewers have the shows (and characters) they love lose focus.

And the actors can be dragged down by a project, because it’s morphed into something that’s wholly ill-suited to the scope of their talent and/or image.

6.2 AnnieFebruary 10th, 2014 at 11:52 AM

I agree. I LOVE Miss Korea. I like to savor it. I might not watch it the night it airs just because I want to give my full attention to it. With most dramas I can fold laundry and do other chores while watching.

Let’s reserve our judgment before deciding that the drama will be ruined from now on. They already have an original source material to work with (which is the original manhwa) and hopefully the co-writers & director can assist the main scriptwriter well and keep up the quality of the story.

And regarding the violence, they said that violent scenes are inevitable, but they will try to restrain it a bit.
I remember that statement was released before ep 7-8 aired, and those episodes are still as violent.. So I don’t think there will be big change on the violence level.

there are so many Drama Voldemorts out there now…..MMM, that Hong Sisters drama before Master’s Sun, that drama that aired in the same timeslot as Master’s Sun after it ended, and that drama with the name of a sport…

I was starting to feel like the old writer was setting up for a jung-tae/ok-ryun endgame given the natural progression of their relationship & cute moments, but im not too sure if the new writer would want the same since it’s not nearly as dramatic enough. We’ll see..

Wouldn’t the noir genre imply that nobody really gets what they want in their interpersonal relationships?

I’ve viewed the heart of this story as the fight against oppression. All of the characters are enslaved in a brutal, choice-less system of struggle and conflict. They fall into their roles as a matter of necessity, rather than a matter of preference. I’ve liked how it hasn’t made the central storyline about politics. Rather, its shown how people are enslaved on both sides of the central conflicts.

If this is right, wouldn’t the endgame be to show the characters and their world make progress toward ending their fighting/struggling and enter into the prospect of a life of freedom? If so, this show isn’t really about the central romance. The OTP storyline would only be a secondary element, needed to contextualize JT*. The real romance is expressed as the central characters’ passion to simply stay alive physically and emotionally, while fighting for a better life.

*I’ve seen the relationship with OR as grounded in practicality, responsibility, loyalty and duty. It draws lines that sketch JT’s character and approach to life. The relationship with Kaya was founded on sympatico, a desire for freedom and surprising spontaneous moments of joie de vivre. It draws lines that sketch JT’s innermost desires.

Seems to be 2 different issues: (1) too much violence; (2) switching writers. On the first, I don’t necessarily agree with removing more violent scenes just because of audience complaint if those scenes are really necessary to and improve the show, but I think the fight scenes here are getting boring and I have no problem with lessening their frequency and length. It’s one thing to have a few fight scenes because it’s visually stunning and still works within the narrative, but I have found that some of the fight scenes are either gratuitous or too long. Instead of adding to the show or the story they have the opposite effect of lessening my interest in what is otherwise a great show. Also, after that series opening fight, I haven’t thought the fights were all that violent and gory in a truly unpleasant way (I did find that opening scene a little too graphically violent for my tastes, but it was appropriate and fit well in the narrative so I had no problems with it even if I covered my eyes occasionally). Removing the writer is a whole different kettle of fish and we’ll just have to see how that affects the actual writing and storytelling.

It’s called “Inspiring Generation: The Birth of The God of Battle”, a show story centered around fighting. Although I agree there can be a line, where there are too many fights and it gets boring, but I haven’t seen it yet. I wouldn’t mind less use of blood, if that’s what the censors want. Other than that, I say it would be a shame to cut those scenes. It’s rare in a drama where directing and fight choreography come together so well.

It’s not good news. Since there are other writers on staff that know the direction of the show, I’ll be hoping for the best.

And the sensoring is too much. There is a content rating system in South Korea. If the content is for adults, then why censor? The violence isn’t even extreme. I mean, Gaksital had scenes of torture, I think this show is tame in comparison, so far.

If King of Dramas taught me anything, it’s that dramas are meticulously planned. So maybe they’ll stick with the original writer’s ideas. KBS should know what they’re doing, right? Yeah, that’s what I’m going with. They know what they’re doing.

I agree, I think they should just bump up the content rating instead of blurring out knives and rating something as “15”. If not for the whole drama, then at least for some episodes so people can decide if they want their kids to watch or not. It’s great that they seem to want the whole family to watch but to possibly be sacrificing the story for that is too much, I think.

I think the writer who left did a good job. This drama is interesting so far. Hngg.. Ratings? Though you change the writer, still, it won’t be easy to beat YFAS. So KBS, just continue giving us a good of drama instead of concerning about the ratings. Like MBC ‘Miss Korea’ , the show must go on. Low ratings doesn’t always mean the drama is bad.
Welcome for the new writer~ Good luck, Inspiring Generation team!

I would actually appreciate if they toned down the violence in this show. There were some scenes that were over-the-top that had me thinking “now, that wasn’t necessary, was it?” (honestly, a lot of them don’t have anything to do with the main storyline, as was said a few recaps back, there was an extra getting beaten up just for the heck of it; not cool, show, not cool at all) and I’ve been putting off watching this because I can’t eat at the same time…. Or within an hour of watching it.

I must be in the minority but i didn’t find the violent scenes to be too much at all — then again i am a horror fanatic and i like to watch shows like walking dead.
But still, i found Gaksital’s torturing scenes to be WAY more gruesome than the fighting scenes here. In AoF you get a bunch of punching/slicing and blood. Gakistal had plenty scenes of torturing their victims with whips and that *shuffers* nail box. There were times where even I had to look away. I’m really in awe right now.

Aside from that, I wonder what really happened behind the scenes to have caused the writer to “leave”. It’s something the loyal AoF fans deserve to know. Creative differences? Maybe the writer wanted to keep his/her integrity and not want to go all makjang on us. Obviously the ratings has something to do with it. It’s a 14 million dollar budget production with an avg. 8% ratings. They need to grab more of the audience’s interest so they’re going to cut down the violence and then up the makjang, right? Right? Show, please prove me wrong.

This writer switch doesn’t guarantee a better story, neither does it guarantee a worse story either, but i don’t have very high hopes considering the the new writer’s resume. The last amount of hope i have left is that this show stays solid for the sake of Heads and for the sake of the loyal fans. I’ll still be tuning in.

okaayy soo they wanted to tell the head writer what to do and the writer left so they replaced him with someone who would agree to change the script and make it less “violent”…
From the premise, I noticed this wouldnt be my drama because it was pretty clear it would be violent so I said “PASS!” if those complaining can’t handle blood or stuff, they should watch something else… If I wanted to ban everything I didnt like then ALL MAKJANGS would be off air! lol
I’ve only watched TEN and vampire Prosecutor -awesome dramas btw- who were kinda violent and were on the crime investigation side so the violence were expected but I had to deal with it… Those are 2 of my fav dramas of all time!

I was just thinking how well the old writer was starting to really tie together all the side character’s stories and giving them their moment to shine. I thought it was a nice balance of screen time for all our characters thus far considering where we were in ep 1-2 with the character overload.

More often times then not a writer switch can lead to a jarring experience IF they choose to go to a different direction. Seems like the case here…

Less violence isn’t gonna make much sense in this story, is it? All in all, that’s really not fair to the actors and to the people who were enjoying the show the way it has been written until now. Plus, it does sound like the writer left because he wouldn’t cave in to the changes that people wanted like some commenters said. :/

How truly sad when ratings (it’s like they are not satisfied) seem to trump creativity and solid writing/story. I sometimes wish South Korea was a little more like America who will just continue on with their story and writing even if their on the verge of cancellation. Shows like Freaks & Geeks, Arrested Development, and even Community. What you have is a strong group of fans who will stick with you to the end in this way…in the case of Community they stuck with them so much the show keeps getting more seasons even with all it’s “last season” rumors and delays. I think that’s so much stronger than just ratings. :/ Ratings a good drama does NOT make. Heirs, anyone?

I could take or leave the violence, but I do care about the show’s heart and tone. So far, AoF is doing a fantastic job of balancing its dark and light moments and infusing the characters with a lovely sense of heart. Granted, directing also plays a signifcant role in the tone, but I still hope that no matter which direction the writing goes, the show can at least stay the same tonally and in terms of its (more the most part) thoughful character development.

I’m glad I didn’t start this yet. Most likely yet another drama ruined by cooperate interfering with the creative process. I really wish the big 3 would start to recognize it’s fine to have a show with low ratings or even ignore complaints if its core viewers like it. There are so many shows made and more in the coming years that the days of mega breakout dramas will probably come to end to some degree.

I was going to start this drama and now I’m wondering if I should. I didn’t like Gakistal. At all. I don’t mind violence if there’s a reason for it, but Gakstal just kept on doing the same thing over and over at one point. And the heroine was such a dud in that show. And she’s in this show as well. Maybe I just shouldn’t watch at all.

Is the violence gratuitous? As long as it’s relevant to the story, that’s fine.

I’ll third that notion. I figured out pretty much everything important that was going to happen in Gaksital by about episode five and it went pretty much as I expected. And after the first couple of cycles of noble sacrifice, capture, torture, escape, sacrifice, capture, torture, escape, it got kinda silly.

Me too! I watched it until mid-way in the series then dropped it. The plot did get quite silly after a while and it kept going on and on in cycles. I kind of wondered why it was so highly valued by DB, but I guess everyone has different tastes.

Since so many Beanies raved about Gakistal {aka Bridal Mask} I succumbed and watched it. However, I didn’t really care for it and struggled to finish marathoning all 28 episodes.

The female lead Mok Dan {aka Esther/Boon-Yil} and the OTP was bland. Really Ueno Rie {aka Lara/Chae Hong-Joo} and the relationship turning point of Lee Kang-To {aka Sato Hiroshi/Lee Young} and Kimura Shunji from bromance to frenemies against the backdrop of national pride was what stood out the most and enabled me finish this drama. The trajectory of their relationship was equivalent to the true OTP in this drama.

Just making it to Episode 28 felt like I had just endured climbing a mountain. It was by far one of the best if not the best episode of the drama.

The best part of the series – the relationships between all the people – some we love, some we hate and some we just kinda scratch our heads – that cannot go away with the writer.

Sure, if they want to tone down the knives and guns and fists and arrows (different show?) and kicks, I’m ok with that.

I wouldn’t be fine if suddenly the romance went all sweet. Sweetness only belongs in quarter teaspoonfuls in this genre, nor would I be OK if they upped the comedy. It has a perfect balance right now between everything.

Problem is they can’t really use PPL in the show, so that decreases their cash flow. They can only rely on the traditional ads.

How about this? More shirtless scenes. I would watch it more, really, and buy the things. I promise.

I guess the violence is the least of the problem–but if a chunk of that gets taken from the story, it’s scary to think what they might add more of or what else they might take away or change in addition. The balance people like might be all thrown off ):

It would be nice if it was just less blood/fewer fight scenes per episode. But I think if that was the case the original writer wouldn’t have had a problem? It feels like something more needed to be changed and that’s why they left?…

Bear with me as I lay out something I’ve been pretty much marveling at the past couple of weeks as I’ve lurked this site.

One thing about the current crop of dramas has completely captivated me: the variety of storytelling styles they’ve utilized. The best analogy I could think of was how they compare to musical styles. PMI was the equivalent of a catchy pop tune for most of its run. The kind we play and sing along just because it makes us feel so good. Warm Word (not recapped here) is like a melancholy ballad. Similar to the iconic Carly Simon songs. YFAS is like a masterful dubstep remix, with a rich and heavy sampling of different genres, tropes, meta, and iconic scenes from other dramatic works. All blended together to create it’s own unique musical voice. (In that regard, I’ve thought YFAS is doing what Faith envisioned. At the time I thought it was an an unexecutable concept. But YFAS shows its genius in pulling it together.)

That gets me to AOF. This drama is more like a symphonic poem. Just like how a symphony needs the voice of an entire orchestra and it takes a while for each melodic line to be established and then interwoven into the main melody; AOF is likewise a very complex interweaving of characters (instruments), story lines (melodic lines) and narrative arc (primary melody). Today I was wondering if they were hiring a new ‘conductor’ to lead the orchestra or ‘composer’ to rewrite the music entirely. I only hope the new writer wasn’t hired to pare back the storylines and cast. The grandeur of the overall composition is what makes this show special.

Have to add ‘archetypes’ to YFAS. I think that’s the logic behind the crude and cliche brush strokes used for some of the characters. For instance, I think the villain is meant as a archetypal comic book manga character.

I’d like the fight scenes to be reduced, and maybe have more romantic scenes, but not too many, and for Gaya to smile, or even laugh (is that possible?), so that I would feel something, anything, for her, because as it is right now, all I feel when I see her scowling, perpetually unhappy face, is plain annoyance.

This does not bode well for AoF…which is unfortunate, because it has been pretty good so far. I don’t understand either what these so-called parents complaining about a show based on a street fighter!! Jeez…sagueks are much more violent and bloodier than this! I’m leaning more towards the ratings though…although at this point, there is 99.9% nothing even the most skilled writer could do to beat YFAS, at all! The new writer’s creds aren’t promising either…sigh. This show had so much potential…

KBS have another drama change in the middle of the series. Do you remember they changed the writer in the drama “marry him if you dare”, and change the ending of that drama. It may be why so many actors refuse to sign on this drama so they offer to KHJ.
I do not mind to tone down a little bit of the fight scene. but seem like the old writer don’t have any idea that kind of love story between JT, Gaya and OR. The new relation chart coming out couple day ago Is OR has a one side love for JT. But the old writer seem like JT or OR together.

It’s too Violent REALLY! As a mother, I think this is just not so smart (dumb- the nice way). If I am watching something that is not appropriate for my son, then he will not be watching it. It’s crazy, how that happens. Like for example, my son wanted to climb onto the table and jump off and I said, “NO!” So, he didn’t. Or like that one time, I was watching a scary movie and I didn’t let him see it. Crazy right, how parenting kids is like being in charge of their everyday life. Hmm, very weird.

“KBS stepping in to announce that they reduce the number of violent scenes in Age of Feeling”
No why
Oh well glad I did not put this on my list on what to download and save it on my Hard drive list of Kdrama.

Regrettably, as much as I was looking forward to it, I have yet to begin Age of Feeling. I’ve just been too busy. So, I’m a little disheartened to hear this news about the writer leaving. It sounds to me that KBS’s decision to cut down the violent scenes could have been part of (if not totally) the reason the writer is leaving. Writer’s tend to have “visions” of where they want the story to go, and if that includes violent scenes, then they don’t want to be told “Stop writing them”. It also seems like a ridiculous decision because the main character is a fighter right? And bare-knuckle fights are usually bloody.

This news won’t keep me from watching, but I may put it off a little longer now.

You guys it’s not always a bad idea when a writer is replaced with a “nobody”type of writer. I recall the series “Secret”, everyone was doubting it in the beginning, but look a-Si how big it made it out to be. So for those of us who are watching it, let’s be patient, and for those who haven’t started it, don’t let this news swerve you to the opposite direction. in the end, I hope for the best, because all the actors there are doing such a phenomenal job, even KHJ has improved tremendously compared to the past.